Was there some reason, then, that only three guys are listed as the writers (Mel Brooks, Thomas Mehaan, Ronny Graham)? Is it a screenwriter’s guild political … thingie?
Speaking of Brooks, how about History of the World, Part 2? I’ve been waiting my whole life to see Hitler On Ice!
Well, technically, since they haven’t made the movie yet, I can’t get the title wrong, can I? But, uh, yeah.
There was this movie a few years ago, but I don’t think it was released theatrically. I know I saw it, but I don’t remember the cicumstances.
Maybe we should take this to e-mail? OK then fine can we make the follow up story too? MamaHen, how she swindled ** xizor ** into looking at her naked?
I assure you that the script was almost entirely written by one woman, whose name I have deliberately obliterated from memory, but I could probably go dig through my records and find her name. You know how ghostwriters work. Brooks takes all the credit, she does all the work, she gets the money and stays silent and gets to work in Hollywood again. Sure it’s got tons of Mel Brooks jokes in it, but it takes more than a few gags to make a movie. And that was precisely the problem. It took a head writer, gag writers, a ghostwriter, and finally a script doctor (me).
We’ve touched on this before, and I’ve responded before:
I, Robot Harlan Ellison wrote a wonderful script based on Asimov’s book that doesn’t treat it as an anthology or do anything in flashbacks. The script has been published, with color illustrations that help you imagine what a CGI version would look like. This on’s long overdue.
Arena (Fredric Brown’s short story) This is the one I keep filming in my head, and CGI would make it work. It’s been ripped off by just about every sf show. Star Trek (TOS) filmed a version of it, but they changed everything – including the ending. For once I’d like to see it done right.
The Devil’s Alternative – since the fall of the Soviet Union, you can now film this Frederick Forsyth thriller as a period piece. It would have to be a miniseries, but it’s impressive. A novel that starts with the assassination of Yuri Andropov and builds from there ought to be really impressive.
The Stars my Destination – I think the opening of this Alfred Bester novel is one of the most dramatic and filmable openings in an sf novel. This is another one I’ve been filming in my head for years.
The Demolished Man – Alfred Bester’s Hugo-winner (the first) has some scenes in it that could be classics, in the right hands.
I agree that the Heinlein juveniles would make great flicks, but I disagree on Stranger in a Strange Land – the story is far too complex, and couldn’t be done justice in a movie of reasonable length. Ditto for Watchmen. You might be able to do these as serial movies, or as mini-series, but I don’t know who’d show them.
** Rendezvous with Rama** (Arthur C. Clarke, of course.) would be great with CGI. I know there’s not much story, but the images are the real story here.
Andrew Vachss’s Burke mystery novels. I don’t know they haven’t been done, except they are so roman noir that nobody wants to do it. I keep wondering who would play Burke. I can only come up with Bruce Willis, which would be okay but I’m sure there is someone better (please do not bring up Cruise, Hanks or Bronson).
Also, they were negotiating to make movies of the Kinky Friedman mysteries, which is or isn’t a good idea. I don’t know if it would work without Kinky playing the lead, and I don’t know if he could do it.
Mysteries! How could I forget?
Judge Dee – I first learned about Robert H. Van Gulik’s wonderful Chinese magistrate/detective through the TV movie Judge Dee and the Monastery Murders (think of Name of the Rose with an oriental flavor) that the underappreciated Nicholas Meyer wrote Wayyy back before he had anything to do with Sherlock Holmes or Star Trek. Great stuff. All the Asian roles were played, for once, by actors of asian descent. Great mystery. I suspect this was a pilot for a series that never was. (Years later there was a series in Britain based on the books, and I’d dearly love to see them. I have a strong suspicion that they inspired Judge Dredd.) There was a rumor at one time that Paul Veerhoeven (RoboCop, Basic Instinct, Total Recall) was going to do a Judge Dee movie, but it never happened. Too bad. There are a LOT of Dee books to choose from, and such a film could be visuall impressive.
Fredric Brown mysteries – I’d still like to se The Fabulous Clipjoint done, or The Screaming Mimi (for real, I mean), or The Night of the Jabberwock. Brown’s science fiction, fantasy, and mystery stories would provide the bases for any number of good flicks. But all we have are a couple of bastardized mysteries, a greatly changed Star Trek story, and the awfulness of Martians, gp Home!, which was a great book.
Lindsay Davis’ “Falco” novels – witty mysteries set in ancient Rome.